A splash screen is a

graphical control element A graphical widget (also graphical control element or control) in a graphical user interface is an element of interaction, such as a button or a scroll bar. Controls are software components that a computer user interacts with through direct ...

consisting of a window containing an

image An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensiona ...

, a logo, and the current version of the software. A splash screen can appear while a game or program is launching. A splash page is an introduction page on a website. A splash screen may cover the entire screen or web page; or may simply be a rectangle near the center of the screen or page. The splash screens of

operating systems An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also inc ...

and some applications that expect to be run in full screen usually cover the entire screen.

Purpose

Splash screens are typically used by particularly large applications to notify the user that the program is in the process of loading. They provide feedback that a lengthy process is underway. Occasionally, a progress bar within the splash screen indicates the loading progress. A splash screen disappears when the application's main window appears. Splash screens may be added for a period of time and then replaced anew. Splash screens typically serve to enhance the look and feel of an application or web site, hence they are often visually appealing. They may also have

animation Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...

s, graphics, and sound. The Java programming language has a specific class for creating splash screens, called java.awt.SplashScreen that handles standard splash screen functions, e.g. display an image centered on screen that disappears when the first program window opens. On the

Web Web most often refers to: * Spider web, a silken structure created by the animal * World Wide Web or the Web, an Internet-based hypertext system Web, WEB, or the Web may also refer to: Computing * WEB, a literate programming system created by ...

, a splash screen is a page of a web site that acts as a front page prior to displaying the

home page A home page (or homepage) is the main web page of a website. The term may also refer to the start page shown in a web browser when the application first opens. Usually, the home page is located at the root of the website's domain or subdomain ...

. Designers may use splash pages: * to direct users to the appropriate website for their country or language preference * to direct users to a low- bandwidth site or one more accessible to disabled users * as an additional form of advertising * to restrict access to content such as

pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

advertising or sales, or gambling * as an aesthetic complement to the main page * to grab someone's attention to take them to a page with more details usually for a product that they are selling. An early use of the splash screen on a Flash website was to enable the site developer to launch the site in a JavaScript-controlled new window without browser elements such as scroll-bars or an address bar, and in the exact size of the Flash movie. This has gone out of style with the predominance of pop-up blockers. Instead many starting Flash web pages now allow their audience to choose to go to full screen viewing. Since splash screens often increase the wait for the desired content and may take a long time to load, they are not liked by all users. Web splash screens are especially inconvenient for users with slow internet connections as the first page may take longer to load. Moreover, if the user has turned off rich content, such as images, Flash, or

Shockwave In physics, a shock wave (also spelled shockwave), or shock, is a type of propagating disturbance that moves faster than the local speed of sound in the medium. Like an ordinary wave, a shock wave carries energy and can propagate through a me ...

, the splash page may not load at all. Splash pages and any associated main pages created in Flash often cannot be accessed by search engines or handled by text readers for the blind. Splash screens can also be created in HTML and

CSS Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a style sheet language used for describing the presentation of a document written in a markup language such as HTML or XML (including XML dialects such as SVG, MathML or XHTML). CSS is a cornerstone techno ...

if they are designed for a purpose other than as a loading screen. Instead, they are used for other purposes such as giving the option to pick the language.

References

External links

* A collection of Microsoft Windows splash screens since version 1.01. * Information on how to program splash screens. *

Screenshots screenshot (also known as screen capture or screen grab) is a digital image that shows the contents of a computer display. A screenshot is created by the operating system or software running on the device powering the display. Additionally, s ...

of many different applications' splash screens, including previous versions. * Information on how to remove various splash screens. * Program that removes the majority of splash screens on Windows. * Simple tool that allows you to create all “Splash Screens” for iOS & Android Apps in one click. {{Graphical control elements Graphical control elements

Purpose

See also

References

External links